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The immense amount of resources BMW has poured into its i brand program hasn't stopped, and recent developments indicate it's likely to pay off for BMW and BMW buyers outside the i brand. The i8 has already sold out its first year run, the i3 racked up 10,000 orders before it even went on sale and is already the subject of public discussion about being stretched into an i5, and a new investment in carbon fiber production has the automaker talking about CFRP use in non-i and non-M models.

The Citroën SM sat on the first set of production glass fiber and resin wheels in 1972 when parent company Michelin developed the exotic hoops in order to take the SM rallying. It wasn't until 2008 that we got the first all-carbon-fiber wheel for passenger cars in the form of a prototype model from Weds Sports in Japan that remained a prototype. Australian company Carbon Revolution followed that a year later with its CR-9 all-CF wheel, first introduced on the Shelby Ultimate Aero and now av

The time has come for BMW to stop talking about the i3 electric city car - something that it has been doing for quite a while - and start building. That's what happened today at the company's plant in Leipzig, Germany, and the event was powered, in part, by wind turbines.

Judging from the spy photos we've seen recently, the BMW i8 is coming along nicely. With its more realistic bodywork, the hybrid supercar is beginning to look like something that actually belongs on public streets. Now Sonny Lim, former head of BMW DesignWorks, has taken a stab at what the finished product may look like via a handful of renderings.

The next BMW 7 Series, said to be arriving in 2015, will reportedly use more CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) in its build. In two interviews R&D head Dr. Klaus Draeger said the big sedan will introduce the expanded use of CFRP components into the mainstream BMW line.

General Motors has announced a partnership with a leading carbon fiber producer in an effort to research the possibility of widespread use of the material in its vehicles. Teijin Limited has pioneered a new manufacturing process for carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic that allows for cycle times of under one minute. Typically, creating carbon fiber parts from molds requires the use of slow-setting resin that simply takes too long to be practical for use on a large scale. As part of the tie-up

Not as easily spotted as its Spyder relative, the Audi Urban Concept Sportback more closely matches the renderings we saw before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's not to say we were totally prepared for the quirkiness of either version, but at least the Sportback's carbon fiber reinforced plastic body was somewhat known to us.

Not as easily spotted as its Spyder relative, the Audi Urban Concept Sportback more closely maches the renderings we saw before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's not to say that we were totally prepared for the quirkiness of either version, but at least the Sportback's carbon fiber reinforced plastic body was somewhat known to us.

Central Washington could soon become a future automotive hub, if BMW's vision of carbon fiber plug-in vehicles catches on. Standing next to BMW's upcoming i3, chairman of the German automaker, Norbert Reithofer, told a crowd of 150 in Moses Lake, WA that carbon fiber is key to the evolution of plug-ins. Reithofer stated:

Japan-based Teijin Limited has announced that it has established mass production technologies for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) that reduces the cycle time for molding automobile frames to less than one minute. In other words, by the time you're done reading this post (or maybe this and another one), Teijin could have made you a lightweight car frame.

BMW has been making some headlines over the past few months with its commitment to carbon fiber construction, opening a joint-venture production facility in Washington State and teasing the upcoming Megacity EV as the first mass-produced carbon fiber vehicle. But there's always a back story to the headlines.

BMW has been making some headlines over the past few months with its commitment to carbon fiber construction, opening a joint-venture production facility in Washington State and teasing the upcoming Megacity EV as the first mass-produced carbon fiber vehicle. But there's always a back story to the headlines.

BMW has just announced that the company will join forces with Seattle-based SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC to build a new manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Don't get too excited just yet. The plant won't be cranking out CF bits for your 3 Series so that you can have a roof that looks like the one on your neighbor's M3 (shown above). Instead, BMW says the $100 million facility will be creating carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for the upcoming Megacity vehicle. At the same time,

Before BMW gives Americans the chance to drive ultimate urban commuter machines in the shape of its upcoming sub-branded Megacity EV, it will be giving them something else in high demand: jobs. The carbon-fiber that will be used to lightweight the vehicles will be made at a plant in Washington state by SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, a joint venture between BMW and SGL Group. The location was chosen, BMW says, because of its skilled workforce, the availability of clean, low-cost hydropower and oth

The idea that BMW's line of electric vehicles will cater to the same premium buyers as the company's other vehicles seems more assured with today's announcement that it has established a joint venture with SGL Group to produce carbon fiber and textile semi-finished products for "vehicle construction" with an eye to getting the lightweight materials into production models, starting with something small and efficient.

The elephantine rear airfoil bolted to the rear deck of the Dodge Viper ACR is not only highly functional, but it gets credit as being the first mass-produced carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wing on a production car. Rear wings on high performance vehicles are designed to counter lift. Without aerodynamic aids, most vehicles become less stable and have reduced grip as velocities increase (worst case, the vehicle actually flies as did the Mercedes CLR at Le Mans in 1999).